Segmented track



July 1, 1958 R. E. SAUSAMAN 2984719453 SEGMENTED TRACK Filed Nov. 26, 1954 8 INVENTOR. 5 0- *1? ROBERT E iqusAMAN 4 BY 48 45 Ww United States Patent Ofilice pgented ,f fi i i SEGMENTED TRACK Robert E. Sausaman, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of N ew York Application November 26, 1954, Serial No. 471,383

ll) Claims. (Cl. 305-40) This invention relates to tracks for track-laying vehicles, and more particularly to tracks for this purpose characterized by an assembly of individual track segments connected end-to-end, and in which each of the track segments includes one or more rubber-covered flexible tension bands to sustain the longitudinal tension in the track.

A segmented track structure has been recently developed embodying a flexible tension band which is reinforced internally with a metal tension member composed of a plurality of flexible reinforcing members such as wire stranded cables and a pair of anchor plates to which the ends of the cables are secured. This metal tension member is embedded in a surrounding body of rubber with the cables disposed lengthwise through the rubber body in a common plane and the anchor plates are disposed transversely to the cables at each end of the band. The terminal ends of the cables at each anchor plate project into openings in the anchor plate and the ends are collectively secured to the plate by swaging or otherwise deforming the anchor plate to constrict the openings into gripping engagement with the cables.

The present invention is directed to an improved mode of swaging the anchor plates to their respective cables which provides a considerably stronger connection be tween each anchor plate and its respective cables than has been previously obtained. This new mode of swaging provides a connection which is approximately as strong as the tensile strength of the cables. Briefly, this is accomplished by swaging areas or faces of the plate adjacent the openings in which the cable ends are disposed so that the openings are constricted generally radially into gripping engagement with their respective cables and along a substantial length of the ends of the cables. By swaging the faces of the anchor plates in areas intermediate the openings relatively deeply and simultaneously swaging areas of the faces overlying and/or underlying the cables to a lesser depth, the cross-sectional area of each opening is materially reduced so that its respective cable end is squeezed tightly by the constricted portion of the opening.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a segmented track structure embodying bands of metal tension members made in accordance with this invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the sprocket and bogieengaging side of portions of a segmented track formed with several track segments coupled together, portions of the segments being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan view drawn on an enlarged scale showing the manner of coupling an end of a band of one segment to the corresponding band of an adjoining segment, parts of the coupling plates being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the lines 33 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of an anchor plate partly broken away and some cables secured therein in accordance with this invention.

Referring to the drawings, the track structure shown in Fig. l is formed by assembling together end-to-end several individual track. segments such as track segment A, B and C. The track segments include laterallyspaced, flexible tension bands 10 which extend lengthwise of each segment and the ends of which are coupled to the ends of the corresponding bands of the adjoining segments. The structure of each tension band is of the same general type as described and claimed in the copending application Serial No. 386,796 filed October 19, 1953, now Patent No. 2,803,504 of Daniel F. Lynch. Each tension band 10 is formed with a flexible rubber body 14 and has embedded within it a plurality of flexible metal wire stranded cables 16 extending lengthwise of the rubber body from an anchor plate 17 at one end of the band to another similar anchor plate 17 at the opposite end. The anchor plates 17 are disposed transversely to the cables at the ends of the band and each plate is swaged against its respective group of cable ends. The cables and the endwise anchor plates 17 compose an integral element of each band, and this assembly is hereinafter referred to as the tension member of each band.

The track segments shown in Fig. 1 further include a plurality of ground-engaging grousers 18 which are fastened transversely across the pair of bands 10 to lugs 19 which project laterally through the sides of the bands from cross-plates 26 which are embedded within the rubber body 14 of the band at equally spaced intervals along the length of the bands to provide a connection between the flexible cables 16 and the grousers. At each grouser, intermediate the bands 1% there are upstanding guide members 21 flanked by driving lugs (not shown). The guides and lugs are engaged by sprockets (not shown) of the vehicle on which the track is mounted for operation. This general arrangement of the grousers, cross-plates, guides and bands is described and claimed in United States Patent 2,494,066 to C. O. Slemmons.

The anchor plates 17 (see Fig. 4) are each flat bars of malleable metal which are slightly thicker than the diameter of the cables and which are provided with a plurality of laterally-spaced mutually parallel openings 25 extending sideways through the thickness of the plate from its forward edge 26 to its rearward edge 27. The lateral spacing of the openings 25 is equal to the lateral spacing between the cables when they are embedded in the rubber body so that the ends of the cables extend straight into their respective openings 25 of the anchor plates without being kinked or deflected. The mouth of each of the openings 25 at the forward edge 26 of the anchor plate is preferably belled or funnel-shaped so that the cable may be flexed through a substantial angle relative to the anchor plate without being pinched or creased by the mouth of the opening. Each anchor plate is formed with upper and lower flat faces 29 and 30, respectively, and the areas 32 of each of these faces as shown in Fig. 4 is swaged against all of the cable ends assembled in the openings 25 to secure the anchor plate to the cables.

The present invention is directed particularly to the nature of theswaged areas 32 in the upper and the lower face of each anchor plate. This new mode of swaging provides a gripping engagement between the anchor plate and each cable, which is approximately equivalent to the tensile strength of the cable; that is to say, the engagement of the anchor plate with each cable is such that the force required to pull the cable out of the anchor plate is approximately equivalent to the force required to break the cable. It may be noted in Fig. 4 that in the swaged areas 32 the portions 34 of the upper face which directly overlies the openings 25, the porof anchor plates each having a plane face and having a pluraltiy of laterally spaced openings extending into one edge of the plate generally adjacent and parallel to said plane face, assembling a plurality of cables with said anchor plate by inserting one end of each cable into its respective opening of one anchor plate and inserting the opposite end of each cable in a corresponding opening of the other anchor plate, then deforming areas of said plane face of each anchor plate overlying the openings and other areas of said face intermediate adjacent openings to constrict each opening along a substantial length of its respective cable to secure the plate to the cables, and deforming said areas or" each plate intermediate adjacent openings appreciably deeper relative to said face than said areas overlying said openings whereby in the deformation the material of the plate is displaced generally radially against each of the cables.

4. A tension member for a track, the tension member comprising an anchor plate having a plurality of laterally-spaced openings therein, and a plurality of cables 1 each having a length at one end thereof disposed within an opening, and said plate having portions directly overlying said openings deformed inwardly toward said cable and having other portions intermediate said openings deformed inwardly a greater amount than the aforesaid portions so that material of the plate is displaced laterally toward the adjacent openings, said deformed portions of the plate being of sufilcient extent to embrace a substantial length of each cable end and to constrict each of said openings generally radially against its respective cable.

5. A tension member for a track, the tension member comprising an anchor plate having a plurality of laterally-spaced openings therein, and a plurality of flexible reinforcing members each having a length thereof at one end of the member disposed in an opening, each of said openings having a portion located intermediate the ends of the opening and embracing a substantial length of said end of its respective member disposed therein of smaller cross-sectional area than the remaining portions of said opening, and said portion of smaller cross-section being in radial gripping engagement with said portion of its respective member, restricted areas of the surface of said anchor plate being deformed both inwardly and laterally toward the cables to provide said portions of each opening of smaller cross-sectional area.

6. A tension member in accordance with claim 5 in which said flexible members are wire stranded cables, and in which the length of said portion of opening of smaller cross-sectional area is greater than about twice the diameter of said cable.

7. In a track a tension band comprising a body of rubber material, a single integral anchor plate at each end of the body and a plurality of flexible metal-reinforcing members extending fiom one of said anchor plates lengthwise through said rubber body to the other anchor plate at the opposite end of the body, each anchor plate having an upper plane face and a lower plane face parallel to said upper face and a plurality of laterallyspaced openings extending into the plate intermediate said faces from one edge of the plate, each said opening having an end of one of said reinforcing members disposed therein, said faces of each plate having areas thereof directly overlying and underlying said openings deformed inwardly toward said members and said faces having other areas thereof intermediate said openings deformed inwardly a substantially greater amount than cab the aforesaid deformed areas and also laterally toward adjacent openings, said deformed areas being of suflicient extent to embrace a substantial length of the end of each flexible member and to constrict each said open- .n generally radially against the member disposed therein.

In a track, a tension band comprising a body of rubber material, a single integral anchor plate at each end of the body and a plurality of flexible stranded Wire 1. extending from one of said anchor plates lengthwise through said rubber body to the other anchor plate at the opposite end of the body, each anchor plate having an upper face and a lower face and a plurality of laterally-spaced openings extending into the plate inter ediate said faces from one edge of the plate, each said opening having an end of a cable disposed therein, said faces of each plate having areas thereof deformed both inwardly and laterally toward the cables to provide in each opening a portion intermediate the ends of the opening embracing a substantial length of said end of its respective cable of smaller cross-sectional area than the remaining portions of said opening, said portions of each said opening exerting generally radially directed gripping pressure on its respective cable end.

9. A metal tension member for sustaining driving loads in a self-laying track, the tension member comprising a pair of anchor plates each having upper and lower faces on opposite sides thereof and each plate hava plurality of parallel spaced openings extending into the plate intermediate said faces from one edge of the plate, and a plurality of flexible wire stranded cables extending between said pair of anchor plates with the ends of each cable disposed within corresponding openings of said anchor plates, and areas of each of said upper and lower faces of each anchor plate embracing a substantial length of the ends of the cables in said openings being deformed both inwardly and laterally so that a portion of each opening is constricted radially against its respective cable end, the portions of said deformed areas intermediate adjacent openings being deformed appreciably deeper relative to the surrounding areas in their respective faces than the portions of said deformed areas overlying and underlying said openings to provide said generally radial constriction of each said opening.

10. The method of making a tension band for a selflaying track, which method comprises providing a solid metal anchor plate having opposing faces and a plurality of lateraHy spaced openings extending into the plate between said opposing faces from one edge thereof, inserting one end of each of a series of wire stranded cables in said openings, and thenswaging said opposing faces of the plates to cause the flow of metal of the anchor plate including the regions thereof between the cables both inwardly and laterally toward said cables thereby radially constricting each said opening against a substantial length of the cable end therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,942,824 McLeod Jan. 9, 1934 2,149,209 Dickie et al. Feb. 28, 1939 2,290,109 Mayne July 14, 1942 2,326,719 Myers Aug. 10, 1943 2,461,030 Brickman Feb. 8, 1949 2,587,095 Bergan Feb.'26, 1952 2,803,504 Lynch Aug. 20, 1957 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,841,453 July 1, 1958 Robert E, Sausaman It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 5, line 50, claim 6, after "of", second occurrence, insert Signed and sealed this 7th day of October 1958.,

(SEAL) Attest:

KARL H, AJCLINE Attesting Ofiicer ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner of Patents 

